Fraud is fraud regardless of name swapping for courses advertised on Xiaohongshu: legal expert

Despite public exposure, fraudulent courses on Xiaohongshu continue to swap names while exploiting the titles of Hong Kong universities to lure students -- a practice that legal experts confirm constitutes fraud.

The courses, ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 yuan and promised certificates bearing the universities' names, including the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with handwritten recommendation letters upon completion.

While the names of the professors mentioned are real, all three universities have formally denied any collaboration and reserve the right to pursue legal action.

It was found that the agencies have since altered distinctive descriptions, such as the professors' departments and titles, yet vague references like "HKU professor" remain.

For instance, a course on new energy batteries originally listed "Professor S" as a department head, now describes him vaguely as a "top SCI journal associate editor" but retains the title "HKUST tenured professor." 

Similarly, an AI course has changed the instructor's name from "KJT" to "Zeka," yet other course outlines under the pseudonym still use the original professor's photo and initials "KJT."

Barrister Albert Luk Wai-hung said that regardless of how the descriptions are altered, impersonating professors from Hong Kong universities to recruit students constitutes fraud.

Luk explained that the agencies involved could face charges for fraud or conspiracy to defraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment. However, he noted that pursuing legal accountability may prove challenging as the agencies are primarily based in the mainland.